Style Icon: Clint Eastwood

Why He's A Style Icon

Clint Eastwood is weathered. Haggard. Grizzled. Every second of stage time is carefully etched in his face: He has acted in and/or directed 66 films in a career that spans six decades. Now, Eastwood is pushing 80 years old. But he is also the only man on earth who can make wrinkles look good. That, after all, has always been a large part of his attraction both on and off the screen. It was ideal for a career in Westerns (Space Cowboys notwithstanding). And although, at one point, even as late as the early ‘80s, Eastwood appeared as a taut young buck, he has always radiated maturity and quiet masculinity beyond his now visible collection of crow’s-feet. Aging may have reeled in the gun-wielding, horse-riding Eastwood and turned him sentimental in The Bridges of Madison County, but you can’t completely squeeze the rebel out of the boy. Case in point: See Gran Torino, Eastwood’s take on the (sub)urban cowboy.

His style follows his films. Clint cleans up for the red carpet, but only out of force. He’s really too active to be bothered with the restraint of a formal jacket and dress shirt. At heart, he’s a head-to-toe denim guy with a 10-gallon hat. Yes, Eastwood may have been born and raised in San Francisco — not exactly the frontier — but he is inextricably connected to the roles for which he’s famous. And like the years he wears so well on his face, he still looks better in jeans (and a T-shirt) than guys less than half his age.

Dress The Eastwood Way

You can’t ignore the fact that Clint Eastwood stands for boots and a bandanna. And yes, sometimes even a pair of leather chaps. Don’t worry — we would never advocate for all-out Western wear. There is still room, however, to get in touch with your wild side, Eastwood style. The whip just needs to be cracked to tame and turn it into something relevant.

A Western shirt would be a good start. It speaks to the spirit of a hard day’s work — the kind where a rooster replaces an alarm clock and there is a herd of animals to round up (emphasis on spirit). Make sure it’s tailored and go super-dark on the jeans to avoid looking like a Halloween costume or an extra from Brokeback Mountain. That isn’t in Clint’s repertoire.